


Vivifying Thermal Bath

by sardonyx164



Series: Operation Care (Chad Arranges Recovery Episode) [11]
Category: Codename: Kids Next Door
Genre: Food, Footbaths, Gen, Hospitalization, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Laryngitis, Nurses & Nursing, Screenplay/Script Format, Silent Protagonist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:20:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25935055
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sardonyx164/pseuds/sardonyx164
Summary: Nigel is given a hot foot bath.
Relationships: Nigel Uno & Chad Dickson
Series: Operation Care (Chad Arranges Recovery Episode) [11]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1859455
Kudos: 1





	Vivifying Thermal Bath

_[Scene: the Galactic Kids Next Door inpatient ward, in the bedroom. Nigel is comfortably sitting in a chair as he soaks his bare feet in a bowl of hot water]_

**Nigel:** (Ah, there’s nothing quite like soaking one’s feet in an epsom salt bath...)

_[Chad enters the room with a bowl of chicken noodle soup and a cup of chamomile tea on a tray]_

**Chad:** It’s lunch time, kid! I got you soup and tea, two hot liquids that will help your voice recover!

 **Nigel:** [perking up] (Tea and soup?!)

_[Chad places the tray on a table and carefully gives the soup to his patient. Nigel licks his lips before he starts to hungrily eat the soup]_

**Chad:** Hey, hey! Slow down! I know you want your voice back, but you’re gonna get heartburn if you eat too fast! [offering the tea to Nigel] At least drink this tea while you’re eating! It’s supposed to help with heartburn!

 **Nigel:** [slowing the pace of his eating] (Oops, that’s right... _ **heartburn**_.)

_[Nigel takes a few sips of his tea. Chad scratches the back of his neck and glances around the room awkwardly for a few moments before he speaks]_

**Chad:** So, um...you’re recovering quite quickly, aren’t you? That’s...good, I guess...

 **Nigel:** [eating a bit of his soup] (...Your tone implies otherwise, Chad.)

 **Chad:** [clearing his throat] Um, I mean, what I’m trying to say is...[trying to sound happy]... you get to go back to work after this. Hooray...

 **Nigel:** [sipping some tea] (Ah, yes. I want to cheer, too. I get to go back to a mentor that doesn’t care about my health at all. Hooray.)

 **Chad:** Hmm, judging by your facial expressions, I can see that you don’t want to go back to work. I mean, it’s understandable; _**she**_ got you hospitalized, and if you go back, she’s gonna get you hospitalized _again._ [shaking his head] Man, I’m still _really_ angry at _**her**_ , but...[sighs]...staying angry at someone can seriously wear you down, you know?

 **Nigel:** [sipping more tea] (Yes, I know from experience...)

_[An awkward silence fills the room. After a few long seconds, Chad breaks the silence by clearing his throat]_

**Chad:** [smiling softly] Hey, listen, Nigel. These past few days with you...they’ve been some of the happiest days of my life. I know that’s... strange to say, but it’s true. I just... _love_ being here with you. It’s like I’m your mentor again. [twiddling his fingers] Um, you remember how I used to take care of you back in the day?

 **Nigel:** [nodding and blushing happily as he eats more soup] (Of course I do, old friend.)

 **Chad:** [chuckling affectionately] Man, you were such a _dork_ back then. I mean that in the good way, of course; you were so studious and hard working and _caring_ and...[blushing]...well, I’m not saying those traits vanished, but, um...the point is: I _always_ loved our time together. You were the best student I ever had.

_[Chad’s happy expression slowly changes to a sad/angry one]_

**Chad:**...You know what? I’m _glad_ that you’re getting better. [averting his gaze from Nigel] I never want to see your _stupid_ face here _**ever again**_. I hate _everything_ about you and...[sniffling]...and...!

_[Nigel stares at Chad with confusion and concern for a few moments. The younger boy carefully puts the bowl of soup on his lap before gently taking the teen’s hand]_

**Chad:** [sniffling again]...You deserve a better mentor than me. You deserve someone who...who won’t break your heart. [quietly] I don’t want to see you get hurt again because of me...

_[Nigel softly squeezes Chad’s hand, but the teen still doesn’t look up at Nigel]_

**Nigel:** [tearing up] (Oh, Chad...while I may not be able to fully forgive you, I can see that you are doing your very best to help me feel better. You are also showing strong remorse, which is a lot more difficult to do than one would think.) [squeezing Chad’s hand again] (I’m very proud of you, Chad, and I love being around you, too.)

 **Chad:** [looking up at Nigel]...You’re a strange kid. But...[wiping his tears]...I guess that’s what makes you so lovable, huh?

 **Nigel:** [chuckling bashfully] (Aw, Chad...)

 **Chad:** [clearing his throat] Um, anyway! [pulling his hand away from Nigel’s grip] You’re scheduled for another bath tomorrow morning, but this one is more about detoxification than anything else. Um, the good news is... you’re not allergic to epsom salts. And, um, as a matter of fact, neither am I.

 **Nigel:** [raising an eyebrow] (What is Chad implying...?)

 **Chad:**...Okay, so... I was just wondering...can I take a bath with you? [turning very red] Um, for purely medical purposes, of course...

 **Nigel:** [calmly finishing his tea] (If the bath is for ‘medical purposes’, then why are you blushing so much, hmm?)

 **Chad:**...Don’t look at me like that, alright? You’re not the only one who needs to detox, you know.

 **Nigel** : [finishing his soup] (That doesn’t really answer my question...)

 **Chad:** [chuckling bashfully] Er, um, well...okay, fine. You got me. [speaking quickly] See, the thing is, I, um, just want to take a bath with you, alright? I, uh, remember how we used to take baths together all the time, and how we always put in _so many_ bubbles and bath toys into the tub, and well, I, uh, always loved bathing with you and playing with you and washing you, and I remember how much you liked all of that stuff, too, so--

_[Nigel suddenly yet gently grabs Chad’s hand and squeezes it. He then gives the teen a serious (yet joyous) look]_

**N** **igel:** (Chad. _Shut up._ You had me at “I want to take a bath with you”.)

 **Chad:**...Um, is that a ‘yes’...?

 **Nigel:** [nodding] (Of course it’s a ‘yes’, you stupid teenager!)

 **Chad:**...Oh. [smiling softly] Alright, then. Thank you. I’m looking forward to our bath, then.

 **Nigel:** [returning the smile](So am I, Chad. So am I.)

End

**Author's Note:**

> -Something to note about Nigel is that he likes to be clean.  
> For example, in Operation Leader, Nigel gets covered with ice cream, and the first thing he does (aside from complaining about how gross and sticky he is) upon returning to his home is to clean himself off.  
> So I don't think it would be too out of character for him to love baths.
> 
> And Chad?  
> He knows how important it is to keep clean, and he also knows that water can be used to treat various ailments.  
> I'd say that he would love baths, too.
> 
> -The original plot for this fic involved Chad washing (and kissing!) Nigel's feet himself. If you're religious, this might seem familiar. The only thing this series needs now is for Chad to feed Nigel a plate of fish (and chips). [But please keep in mind that Chad is a spiny/playful teenager that wears light blue scrubs.] [Also keep in mind that any religious themes included in this series was unintentional.]
> 
> Related links:  
> https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321627  
> https://www.healthline.com/health/epsom-salt-detox  
> https://www.deviantart.com/his-beloved/gallery  
> https://livewellrehab.com.au/what-is-hydrotherapy-and-how-does-it-work/  
> https://www.ewacmedical.com/hydrotherapy-treatment-programs/
> 
> Related fanart:  
> https://luci-moon.tumblr.com/post/628913308645392384/yum-o-yari-bu-la-imagen-mental-de-chad-trata-de  
> https://luci-moon.tumblr.com/post/628093600855719936/frightknight-you-used-to-be-my-heropng


End file.
